 |
| No Stranger to Anyone |
My latest:
Ebola
Spawned of muddy puddles
and ditches
in the shady green gloom
and heat of
a savage, peace-starved chunk
of continent,
a thin jungle meander that switches
anon to
the Mongala and miles
ahead, worlds away,
arced steamy Congo, king of
rivers.
Another place, another
time, fates might
have been more kind. Let
you be a candy
bar, well-known snack brand
or healthy nut,
or designate some precious
gem unearthed
near your bank, glistening
pink in palest light.
You might have been a
princess’s name or
whole line of royalty:
Ebola IV, Castle Builder,
All-Conquering Spear. Or
cloak with
glory some natural
splendor: Ebolian sunsets
touching the fronds and
creepers with fire,
postcards in the gritty
shops of Kinshasa.
But here in this place Cain’s
curse smears your winding
coils with rancid ordure, puke,
and pain. And
so suffuses your soul with
venom the Mantra
of our Age is all you know:
Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill
No comments:
Post a Comment